DOCSLIB.ORG

Plague, Quarantine, and Concepts of Contagion in Eighteenth-Century England Talei ML Hickey [email protected]

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Plague, Quarantine, and Concepts of Contagion in Eighteenth-Century England Talei ML Hickey Taleih@Uw.Edu University of Washington Tacoma UW Tacoma Digital Commons History Undergraduate Theses History Winter 2014 Arrival From Abroad: Plague, Quarantine, and Concepts of Contagion in Eighteenth-Century England Talei ML Hickey [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/history_theses Part of the European History Commons, and the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons Recommended Citation Hickey, Talei ML, "Arrival From Abroad: Plague, Quarantine, and Concepts of Contagion in Eighteenth-Century England" (2014). History Undergraduate Theses. 6. https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/history_theses/6 This Undergraduate Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the History at UW Tacoma Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Undergraduate Theses by an authorized administrator of UW Tacoma Digital Commons. Hickey 1 Arrival from Abroad: Plague, Quarantine, and Concepts of Contagion in Eighteenth- Century England Senior Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation In the Undergraduate History Program of the University of Washington Tacoma By Talei Hickey The University of Washington Tacoma March 2014 Advisor: Dr. Michael Kucher Hickey 2 Acknowledgements This research project would not have been possible without the guidance and support of my professor and advisor Dr. Michael Kucher. I wish to express my sincerest gratitude to him for all of his constructive feedback and tremendous patience in assisting me during the research process, as well as with the completion of this assignment. His academic leadership and expertise in the field of history have proven to be extremely invaluable, and for that, I am genuinely grateful. Hickey 3 Abstract The isolation and separation of infected individuals in response to epidemics has persevered throughout history as an effective public health measure. Since the devastation of the Black Death during the fourteenth century, major European cities continued to institute various forms of quarantine in order to address the threat of plague. Following the Great Plague of London in 1665-66 – the last major outbreak of bubonic plague to occur in England – the country had no way of knowing it would never again be visited by the disease in its epidemic form. In the eighteenth century, Parliament took measures aimed at preventing outbreaks of infection from abroad – primarily, through the institution of a rigorous maritime quarantine system. This decision ultimately came about as a result of the standard medical rhetoric of the age, that plague in its epidemic form was much easier to prevent than it was to control. Theories of contagion advanced by English physician Dr. Richard Mead (1673-1754), on which the government’s activity was largely based, were received with dissatisfied medical and communal responses. Yet quarantine, even in its contemporary form, in no way remains free of controversy. In the case of plague, effective preventative measures could not be entirely understood until the epidemiology of the disease had been fully worked out. This essay examines the impact of eighteenth century medical discourse and theories of contagion asserted specifically by Dr. Mead in shaping maritime quarantine protocol in England. Hickey 4 Introduction Following London’s Great Plague in 1665-66, the recession of epidemic plague in the United Kingdom had arrived. Despite a continued appearance of the disease throughout the continent of Europe, and an overall absence of a uniform maritime quarantine policy for roughly forty years following the last pestilential sweep, England managed to evade a widespread outbreak of the contagion indefinitely. However, in response to outbreaks of plague in the Mediterranean during the eighteenth century, Parliament enacted a rigid seafaring isolation system for receiving foreign trade – the recent nonexistence of widespread plague in England not withstanding. After nearly half a century of plague’s cessation in the country at the closure of London’s Great Plague, and quarantine’s previously failed attempts at successfully preventing the introduction of an epidemic in the port city of Yarmouth in 1636, England decided to enforce its first uniform quarantine policy in 1710 . These policies grew increasingly more stringent throughout the eighteenth century, despite a lack of plague ever reentering the Kingdom of Great Britain. Prior to the seventeenth century, England lacked a consistent technique for regulating contact with foreign seaports.1 It was not until 1629 that Parliament made an attempt to initiate an orderly system in response to the Italian Plague of 1629-31, and again during a subsequent outbreak of the pestilence in France and the Low Countries in 1635. 2 Unlike the previously impromptu quarantine measures implemented in England during the sixteenth century, the Privy Council now ordered customs officials to decline or isolate infected ships upon their arrival, yet these methods failed to prevent an epidemic of plague from erupting in England the following 1 Paul Slack, The Impact of Plague in Tudor and Stuart England . (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1985), 221. 2 Ibid. Hickey 5 year.3 In 1655, a surge of plague in the Netherlands prompted Parliament to reestablish these quarantine measures yet again. But after nearly a decade without any reliable trace of the pestilence, the infamous Great Plague of London — the last major outbreak of bubonic plague to occur in the United Kingdom — first struck the district of St. Giles in 1665 and went on to kill an estimated 100,000 people, about 15% of London’s population. 4 Owing to modern science, the etiology of bubonic plague is known to stem from Yersinia pestis , a highly infectious bacterium transmitted from rodents — specifically, the black (Rattus rattus ) or prairie dogs ( Cynomys ) —to other animals, primarily by way of infected Oriental rat fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis ).5 Infected fleas leave the bodies of rodents that have been killed by the bubonic plague bacteria, and in desperate need of a new host, may bite and infect humans. This indirect method of transmission is known to be the most common between rodents and humans, although, humans may also subsequently become infective to other people.6 However, given the absence of this knowledge during the eighteenth century, government measures taken in England to control the spread of plague were primarily aimed at the prevention of human-to- human transmission. 7 In addition, no endemic instances of plague in Britain had been known, and thus, it was inferred that the infection had to have been imported whenever an epidemic occurred. After an outbreak subsided, plague needed to be reintroduced from abroad and British ports in particular – such as London and Yarmouth – played a significant role in facilitating that process. 8 Therefore, the prevention of ships and merchandise being imported from aboard, especially from other infected cities or countries, became an immediate aim of the English 3 Ibid. 4 Lloyd Moote & Dorothy C. Moote, The Great Plague: The Story of London’s Most Deadly Year . (Baltimore, MA: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004), 11. 5 David T. Dennis et al., “WHO Plague Manual: Epidemiology, Distribution, Surveillance and Control.” (1999): 63. 6 Ibid. 7 Slack, The Impact of Plague in Tudor and Stuart England , 313. 8 Ibid. Hickey 6 government in order to potentially hinder the spread of plague throughout the kingdom. The decision to initiate a systematic method for the detention of these ships arriving from infected areas stemmed from the medical opinion that it was easier to enforce quarantine measures than it was to control plague once it progressed into an epidemic. 9 Therefore, in response to a rise of plague infection in the Baltic Sea region during the Great Northern War (1700-1721), the English government opted to react promptly by implementing the Quarantine Act of 1710 – the first systematic approach aimed at preventing the introduction of plague from abroad – more specifically, by way of infected ships or vessels. Methodology The focus of this paper will be to examine the impact of maritime quarantine practices on eighteenth century English law, particularly in the context of early modern theories of contagiousness, which not only influenced government protocol, but also initiated a genre of medical texts that began to question the capability of empirical evidence to effectively determine the appropriate preventative measures against infectious diseases such as plague. Furthermore, this paper will aim to uncover the ways in which one physician in particular – Dr. Richard Mead (1673-1754) – directly influenced quarantine law through the publication of his treatise, A Short Discourse Concerning Pestilential Contagion, and the Method to be used to prevent it (1720) . Throughout this essay, I will examine an array of eighteenth century medical tracts that coincide with the establishment of Great Britain’s first standardized maritime quarantine system, as well as those that challenged Dr. Mead’s arguments with regard to disease transmission and the role of commerce in spreading plague. In addition to these discourses, this paper will also incorporate 9 Ibid. Hickey 7 civic responses relevant to the repercussions of the maritime quarantine policies directly influenced by Mead, with an emphasis on the reactions of influential English writer Daniel Defoe. Within the scholarship, a plethora of works on the subject of the Black Death
Load more

Recommended publications
  • John Ward, LL.D., F.R.S., F.S.A.,· OHN WARD, the Founder of the Trust Which Pre­
    .JOHN WARD, LL.D. 1679-1758. PROFESSOR OF RHETORIC AT GRESHAM COLLEGE, VICE. PRESIDENT OF THE -ROYAL SOCIETY, VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES, TRUSTEE OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. Front the picture in tlte National Portrait Gallery, Photographed by Emery Walker, Limited. ns cations· . ,of tlte ~aptist Kistoriea\ Soeiety. John Ward, LL.D., F.R.S., F.S.A.,· OHN WARD, the founder of the Trust which pre­ . serves his name, was born in London in or about J the year 1679, and 'remained a Londoner all his . lifetime .• He was the son of a Baptist minister, also named John, who Jived to the ag;e of 81, dyin.g in 1717 .. His epitaph, composed by his son, describes him as one who "had suffered much for the sake of . integrity and religion, and borne 'it with a valiant and lofty spirit." .. The mother, Constancy Rayner, w:as known as a woman "of extraordinary p~ety:: and ex-· oeUence of temper." . Out of a family of fourteen chilaren only two surviV'ed. their father, John .and Abigail, the sister keeping house for the brother, and .dying some y;ears befor'e him.. The Wards seem, to have had a . close association with the village of Tysoe in Warwickshire. John Ward, the father, was buried there: and a tablet fixed against a pillar in the Parish Church still hears the names of Thomas Ward, whb died in 1710, his wife Abigail, and their SOIl an:d daughter, Isaiah and Ahigail. Thomas. must have been hrother to the older John, for we find Isaiah in correspondenoe with the younger John, and addressed by him as cousin.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Florida Thesis Or Dissertation Formatting
    SMATHERS LIBRARIES’ LATIN AND GREEK RARE BOOKS COLLECTION UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2016 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS page LECTORI: TO THE READER ........................................................................................ 20 LATIN AUTHORS.......................................................................................................... 24 Ammianus ............................................................................................................... 24 Title: Rerum gestarum quae extant, libri XIV-XXXI. What exists of the Histories, books 14-31. ................................................................................. 24 Apuleius .................................................................................................................. 24 Title: Opera. Works. ......................................................................................... 24 Title: L. Apuleii Madaurensis Opera omnia quae exstant. All works of L. Apuleius of Madaurus which are extant. ....................................................... 25 See also PA6207 .A2 1825a ............................................................................ 26 Augustine ................................................................................................................ 26 Title: De Civitate Dei Libri XXII. 22 Books about the City of God. ..................... 26 Title: Commentarii in Omnes Divi Pauli Epistolas. Commentary on All the Letters of Saint Paul. ....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • BOOKS from the LIBRARY of the EARLS of MACCLESFIELD
    BOOKS from the LIBRARY of THE EARLS OF MACCLESFIELD CATALOGUE 1440 MAGGS BROS. LTD. Books from the Library of The Earls of Macclesfield Item 14, Artemidorus [4to]. Item 111, Hexham [folio]. CATALOGUE 1440 MAGGS BROS. LTD. 2010 Item 195, Schreyer [8vo]. Item 211, del Torre [4to]. Front cover illustration: The arms of the first Earl of Macclesfield taken from an armorial head-piece to the dedication of Xenophon Cyropaedia ed. T. Hutchinson, Oxford, 1727. BOOKS FROM THE LIBRARY OF THE EARLS OF MACCLESFIELD AT SHIRBURN CASTLE This selection of 240 items from the Macclesfield of languages. The works are almost all new to the Library formerly at Shirburn Castle near Watlington, market, Maggs having been privileged to have MAGGS BROS LTD Oxfordshire, mirrors the multiform interests of the received the remainder of the library not previously 50 Berkeley Square library, encompassing classical texts, works on the consigned for sale. The books, which are mostly non- military arts, a (very) few works of a scientific nature, English, range from one very uncommon incunable London W1J 5BA works of more modern literature and history, some to a few printed in the eighteenth century, but most collections of emblems, and some items on the study are of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Telephone 020 7493 7160 Fax 020 7499 2007 5 Email [email protected] 1 ABARBANEL, Isaac. Don Yitzhaq with loss of page numbers, modern half calf. [email protected] Abravani’el... & R. Mosis Alschechi Venice: M.A. Barboni, 1690 £2000 comment. in Esaiae prophetiam 30 [actually This work, clearly meant for those members of the Isaiah 52 v.
    [Show full text]
  • Checklist of Thomas Hollis's Gifts to the Harvard College Library.Pdf
    Checklist of Thomas Hollis’s gifts to the Harvard College Library The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Bond, William H. 2010. Checklist of Thomas Hollis’s gifts to the Harvard College Library. Harvard Library Bulletin 19 (1-2), Spring/ Summer 2008: 34-205. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:42669145 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Figure 3. Bibliotheca Literaria (London, 1722-1724). On the front fyleaf of a book given in 1767, TH provides a modest overview of his gifs on diferent subjects. See Introduction, pp. 22-23, and Checklist, p. 49. *EC75.H7267.Zz722b 23 cm. Checklist of Tomas Hollis’s Gifs to the Harvard College Library A Abbati Olivieri-Giordani, Annibale degli, 1708-1789. Marmora Pisaurensia (Pesaro, 1738). Inv.4.2; 2.3.2.12; C7 <641212?, h> f *IC7.Ab196.738m Abela, Giovanfrancesco, 1582-1655. ‡Della descrittione di Malta . libri quattro (Malta, 1647). 4.3.4.18; C48 <nd, v> On fyleaf: “Te ever-warring, lounging Maltese!” On half title: “Libro raro T·H.” f *EC75.H7267.Zz647a Abu al-Faraj, see Bar Hebraeus, Specimen historiae Arabum Académie des jeux floraux (France). Receuil de plusieurs pièces d’éloquence (Toulouse, [n.d.]). Inv.4.110; 2.2.7.15; not in C <641212?> Original Hollis gif not located.
    [Show full text]
  • William Stukeley and the Gout
    Medical History, 1992, 36: 160-186. WILLIAM STUKELEY AND THE GOUT by KEVIN J. FRASER * Gout was an ubiquitous disease in Georgian England. Although its victims were often immobilized at home for weeks on end, it was not, however, entirely unwelcome. Predominately a male disease, because of its frequency in the corridors of power and association with extravagant lifestyles, it was perceived as socially desirable. Moreover, there was the belief that the gouty were protected from more life- threatening disorders such as palsy, dropsy or apoplexy. Physicians were therefore often reluctant to treat attacks ofacute gout. Such therapeutic nihilism was convenient as gout had been considered the opprobrium medicorum since ancient times and many were prepared to suffer their attacks obediently. Others continued to search for a cure, looking beyond a disturbance of the four bodily humours for the cause of the disease. Pamphleteers fed the huge public appetite for such information, and the diaries and letters ofthe period contain frequent references to gout. However, these accounts often leave some uncertainty about the diagnosis, as most other forms ofarthritis were yet to be distinguished from gout. William Stukeley's descriptions of his own gout are, therefore, of particular importance, for they leave no doubt about the diagnosis.' Not only do they provide * Kevin J. Fraser, MBBS, MRCP(UK), FRACP, Medical History Unit and Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Australia. Mailing Address: Austin Private Consulting Suite, 226 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg 3084, Victoria, Australia. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was made possible by the generous assistance of Mrs Elizabeth White (Texas Medical Center Library), Mr Geoffrey Davenport (Royal College of Physicians), Mr Steven Tomlinson (Bodleian Library), and Mr Alan Clark and Ms Sandra Cumming (Royal Society), Mr Norman Leveritt (Spalding Gentleman's Society) Mr Nicholas Muellner (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University) and Dr Mark Nicholls (Cambridge University Library).
    [Show full text]
  • Voltaire's Relation to Medicine
    VOLTAIRE’S RELATION TO MEDICINE* By PEARCE BAILEY, M.D. NEW YORK N idealizing the great men whose dis­ udice, superstition, all backed by the might coveries have transformed what, a short of church and state. Society, inevitably time ago, was little more than a specu­ averse to reality, placed, as long as it could, Ilative system of philosophy, into a sciencethese deadly taboos across the path of what­ whose bounds are fixed only by the limiting ever might bring it and reality face to face. qualities of humanity, it should be remem­ It was only as, little by little, opinions bered that the followers of Hippocrates are ceased to be matters reviewed by the police, not the only ones who merit gratitude for and when investigation was no longer re­ what they accomplished for medicine. Med­ garded as offensive to God, that the prob­ ical growth implies more than the work of lems of medicine, so long waiting solution, gifted doctors alone. All who have could be brought into the light to be striven for human development studied. have furthered this art which The broader vision which joins or crosses every thread made this development pos­ of social fabric and which sible came from the men has always been more than outside of our profession a system of healing. quite as much as from Medicine must be the those within it; and it was last barrier but one be­ these allies of ours espe­ tween man and the fates. cially who risked their lives It stands at the entrance in the struggle for the es­ and exit of life and, since tablishment of tolerance.
    [Show full text]
  • Dr Richard Mead the Generous Georgian
    26 september 2014 – 4 january 2015 the generous georgian dr richard mead the generous georgian ‘dr mead lived dr richard mead more in the broad Richard Mead (1673-1754) was widely admired by his contemporaries, and sunshine of life than he remains a figure who can be held up as exemplary, especially for medical practitioners. He was, by all accounts, kind, knowledgeable, well connected, and almost any man’ public spirited. Yet he is not especially well known among the general public, compared, for instance, to his contemporary Dr Hans Sloane (1660-1753), whose collections formed the core of the British Museum. Mead’s reputation deserves to be re-established, even if he has no great discoveries or clinical innovations samuel johnson to his name. His life is full of interest, and, as this exhibition demonstrates, it was marked by generosity to institutions as well as to individuals. Mead was a famous and successful physician, a man of learning, an enthusiastic collector, famed for his hospitality and sociability. He mixed with artists and writers, historians and men of science, travellers and philanthropists as well as other doctors, many of whom shared his wide interests, for example in the classical past. One indication of his qualities may be found in the memorial in Westminster Supported by Abbey erected by his son and namesake. Beneath the portrait bust, its Latin inscription presents him as ‘the leading physician of his age’, praising him for THE being ‘mild and merciful in healing the sick and ever ready to assist the poor free FOUNDLING of charge’.
    [Show full text]
  • Smallpox Inoculation in Britain, 1721-1830
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 1990 Pox Britannica: Smallpox Inoculation in Britain, 1721-1830 Deborah Christian Brunton University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the European History Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, and the Virus Diseases Commons Recommended Citation Brunton, Deborah Christian, "Pox Britannica: Smallpox Inoculation in Britain, 1721-1830" (1990). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 999. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/999 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/999 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Pox Britannica: Smallpox Inoculation in Britain, 1721-1830 Abstract Inoculation has an important place in the history of medicine: not only was it the first form of preventive medicine but its history spans the so-called eighteenth century 'medical revolution'. A study of the myriad of pamphlets, books and articles on the controversial practice casts new light on these fundamental changes in the medical profession and medical practice. Whereas historians have associated the abandonment of old humoural theories and individualised therapy in favour of standardised techniques with the emergence of new institutions in the second half of the century, inoculation suggests that changes began as early as the 1720s. Though inoculation was initially accompanied by a highly individualised preparation of diet and drugs, more routinised sequences of therapy appeared the 1740s and by the late 1760s all inoculated patients followed exactly the same preparative regimen. This in turn made possible the institutionalised provision of inoculation, first through the system of poor relief, later by dispensaries and charitable societies.
    [Show full text]
  • ABSTRACT the Language of Dissent: the Defense of Eighteenth
    ABSTRACT The Language of Dissent: The Defense of Eighteenth-Century English Dissent in the Works and Sermons of James Peirce Bracy V. Hill II, Ph.D. Chairperson: William L. Pitts, Jr., Ph.D. This biographical dissertation argues that the thought of James Peirce (1674- 1726), the Presbyterian minister whose controversial theology was the catalyst for the division of Dissent in 1719, must be considered in relation to his hermeneutic of history. For Peirce, history was the telling of truth or events, but an inherently rhetorical recounting, fashioned by the historian to express the “sense” of the “original” in the language necessary to convince the audience. In this way, history proved to be malleable and increasingly corrupted the more it was distanced from the original. Peirce’s understanding of the past was linked closely to his identification of the authority and proper explication of Scripture, the integral interpretive role of reason, and the definition of the Dissenting community. In his early career, Peirce applied his theory of history to the classics and the traditions of the Church—both being subject to the sullying emendations of human invention. Late in his life, however, Peirce was convinced that this same hermeneutic of history was applicable to Scripture, which he previously considered inviolate. Despite the assertions of friends and antagonists, Peirce did not ‘convert’, but rather he logically followed his earlier commitment to a traditional hermeneutic of history. This thesis asserts that although James Peirce was primarily a polemicist, he was also a Nonconformist historian who posited definitions of Christianity and Dissent which evolved with his changing ideas.
    [Show full text]
  • St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, and Its Connection with Eminent Book Collectors
    St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, and its Connection with Eminent Book Collectors JOHN L. THORNTON* HOSPITAL having over eight hundred years of history behind it A quite obviously abounds in memorable associations with those who have served it during that period. St. Bartholomew's Hospital was founded on its present site in West Smithfield, London in 1123 A.D. and its general history has been narrated at length by Sir Norman Moore: and more briefly by Sir D'Arcy Power: Yet many aspects of its development await investi- gation, and an interesting volume could profitably be devoted to the per- sonalities who have served the Hospital as physicians, surgeons, governors, stewards, and in other ofices less dignified, but of no less importance. Any cursory examination of a list of prominent office holders is rewarding in names eminently distinguished in the history of medicine, and one is par- ticularly impressed with the number of persons, associated in one way or another with St. Bartholomew's Hospital, who have achieved prominence as book collectors, bibliophiles, or founders of libraries. Medical men have always been noted as collectors of pathological specimens, coins, medals, prints, portraits, and books, and L. W. G. Mal- colm' has thrown some light on that aspect of their careers. As bibliophiles they have achieved world-wide recognition, and the extent of their collec- tions has been discussed by W. J. Bishop,' and by the present ~riter.~Yet it is difficult to trace the remains of certain of these formerly extensive collections, and many have totally disappeared. Also, we must not ignore the medical man who collected more books than required for a personal working library, but not sufficient to achieve fame as a great collector, and this category includes a goodly company.
    [Show full text]
  • Plague in London: a Case Study of the Biological and Social Pressures Exerted by 300 Years of Yersinia Pestis
    AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Alice Hall for the degree of Master of Arts in History of Science presented on April 29, 2008. Title: Plague in London: A Case Study of the Biological and Social Pressures Exerted by 300 Years of Yersinia pestis Abstract approved: _____________________________________________________________________ Lisa T. Sarasohn The Second Pandemic had a profound impact on the people of Europe. In the few years between 1347 and 1350, a new epidemic disease spread across the entirety of Europe and killed between one third and two thirds of the population. While this initial wave was important, the real significance of this disease is that after the first wave, plague remained present in Europe as an endemic disease with occasional sporadic epidemic outbreaks. In this manuscript, I examine, in detail, plague patterns in London, culminating in the last major outbreak in 1665, and I review evidence that the Second Pandemic resulted from Yersinia pestis . During the course of the epidemic, material wealth increased and living patterns changed in ways that altered plague distribution patterns. Although Londoners did not make much progress in understanding the etiology of plague or in developing treatment protocols, their experience with plague, combined with traditional beliefs and practices, allowed them to develop ordinances that successfully reduced the threat of plague, at least for some members of Greater London. In 1563, the focus of London’s plague was central London, and both poor and wealthy parishes suffered equally. During the final 100 years of the pandemic, the mortality differential between poor and wealthy parishes increased and wealthy central parishes were less severely devastated than poor parishes on the periphery.
    [Show full text]
  • Surgeon "Turned" Physician: the Career and Writings
    SURGEON "TURNED" PHYSICIAN: THE CAREER AND WRITINGS OF DANIEL TURNER (1667-1741) PHILIP KEVIN WILSON Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University College London University of London 1992 ProQuest Number: 10630246 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10630246 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 2 ABSTRACT This thesis focuses upon the surgical and medical career and writings of the London practitioner, Daniel Turner (1667-1741). After apprenticeship, Turner entered the Barber-Surgeons* Company in 1691. His pursuit of private dissection exemplifies what he claimed was the "absolute necessity" for surgeons to gain a practical knowledge of anatomy. Turner crusaded to expose surgical "pretenders" and to reform the "vulgar" state of surgery in order to improve the care qualified surgeons could offer and to prevent the public from falling prey to "quacks". He presented apprenticeship in his Art of Surgery as a model for those entering a surgical career, endorsing it with examples from his practice. Turner's career offers a remarkable example of the struggles, successes, and failures of one individual's attempt to move upward in Augustan society.
    [Show full text]